Choices
by AKA DD
Summary: Katherine gives Elena an ultimatum: Damon or Stefan. Who will she choose? Who will she sacrifice? Picks up after the Season 1 Finale.
1. Chapter 1

**CHOICES**

_Katherine gives Elena an ultimatum: Damon or Stefan. Who will she choose? Who will she sacrifice?_

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"Tell me, Elena, you naughty girl, you," drawled the voice in the dark. "Who do you _really _want?"

With a start, Elena dropped the glass of water she was carrying into her bedroom. But a slender hand darted from the darkness and smoothly caught the falling glass without spilling a single drop.

The speaker slowly glided out of the cover of darkness. Elena's dark eyes widened with shock. The scream froze in her throat and the only sound she could make was a small, startled gasp. She blinked rapidly, as if not really believing what she was seeing with her own eyes.

It was like looking into a mirror.

Katherine stood in front of her, dark hair cascading down her back, curled in the exact same way Elena liked to curl her hair, her head tilted in a perfect mime of the way Elena tilted her head in expectation. Even the way her lips formed a little "o" of faux surprise was Elena's.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" drawled Katherine, handing Elena the glass of water.

Elena's mouth went dry, her throat constricted. She should scream. She should fight. She should _run for her life_.

But she was completely entranced. Paralyzed by a mixture of fear and fascination. She couldn't help but reach out for the glass of water and accepting it from Katherine like it was the most normal thing to do in the world.

"Katherine," she murmured, her voice rough and hoarse with shock.

A catty smile spread over Katherine's face. In that exact moment, she looked completely unlike Elena. The twist of her full lips was slightly marred by cruelty; the hooded look in her dark eyes was distinctly meaner—more predatory. "I see introductions are not necessary." She started to slowly saunter around Elena, making her feel like prey.

"How did you get inside?"

Katherine shrugged. "Oh, your aunt asked me in." She smiled generously at Elena. "Don't look so confused. I saw you kissing Damon yesterday. I pretended to be you and pretended to be locked out after so conveniently being forgetful and flustered after that hot little number."

She shook her dark hair so it looked disarrayed, she pouted, and her eyes looked stricken. "Oh, Aunt Jenna, I'm locked out, I forgot my key. Will you please let me inside?" She mimicked Elena's voice and mannerisms down to a T.

Elena stiffened and gritted her teeth. Katherine stood right in front of her, just a breath away. She lifted her fingers and traced Elena's lips gently. "Tell me, Elena," she whispered softly, "What is it like kissing both my boys?"

Elena turned her head away from Katherine. "Don't touch me!" she snapped.

Katherine smiled nastily. "I can see exactly why Damon likes you," she purred. "All that fire in such a pretty little package, if I do say so myself."

Elena eyed Katherine warily. She was scared, yes. But she was also curious about this woman that both the Salvatore brothers had loved. They had all been right. She looked _exactly_ like Katherine. It was uncanny. Was it really just their looks that drew the brothers in? Was there anything else about them?

A secret smile tilted Katherine's lips. "You're wondering what it is about me…_and you…_that the delicious duo love so much."

Elena threw Katherine a suspicious look which caused the vampire to throw her head back with a throaty laugh. "Oh, Elena, you're so easy to _read_…so _honest_. No wonder Stefan is drawn to you." She reached out and cupped Elena's chin with thumb and forefinger. Elena flinched, but didn't dare move. Katherine lifted her other forefinger and started to trace the line of Elena's cheekbone. "Is it the delicate features, you wonder?" Her finger lifted and traced a dark eyebrow. "Or maybe these dark soulful eyes?"

Elena gritted her teeth, not daring to pull away from Katherine's hold. "What do you want, Katherine?"

The older girl chuckled, "Can't you tell, sweet Elena?"

Elena narrowed her eyes and pulled away from Katherine's grip. "To kill me?"

Katherine gave her a look of pure innocence, her lips pouting slightly. In that moment, Elena could understand exactly why it had been so easy for her to fool the entire town. She watched as Katherine innocently fluttered her long lashes, and understood why Damon and Stefan had been drawn to her. Katherine's demeanor just begged to be _believed_, to be protected.

Then in one swift movement, she dug her fingers into Elena's hair, pulling her head back so that her entire neck was exposed, so that Elena was completely off-balance. Completely vulnerable to Katherine's power.

In that same instant, Katherine's face transformed from sweet innocence into pure predatory darkness. Her eyes became darker, the whites filled with red. Her lips drew back in a silent snarl, exposing her fangs. Her other hand wrapped around Elena's neck in a chokehold.

Elena whimpered and she dropped the glass of water in her hands. It fell to the floor with a loud crash.

"Elena?"

Aunt Jenna's voice called out from outside her room.

"Is everything okay?"

In a swift, effortless movement, Katherine tossed Elena onto the bed. She landed with a small "Oomph!"

"Yes, Aunt Jenna," called Katherine, her face already returning to its more human-like mask. She walked over to the door and cracked it open popping her head out. "Just clumsy and exhausted from everything, y'know…Uncle John," she sighed, her voice tinged with weariness and sadness.

"Oh, sweetie…" Elena heard Aunt Jenna murmur. "Just go to bed."

"Thanks, Aunt Jenna," she sighed. "For everything." With that, Katherine shut the door with a soft click. She turned to face Elena who was still half-sprawled on the bed.

Katherine sauntered over with a sweet smug smile. "Being you is so, so very easy."

"You're sick."

Katherine merely shrugged.

"You killed Uncle John." Elena said the statement out loud, tasting the factual weight of it.

Katherine threw her a smug smile. "He was always in the way," she drawled. "Besides, it's not like there was much love lost between you two."

Elena looked away. "I didn't like him, but he didn't deserve to die. He was my father, after all."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "It really is ridiculous, the sentimentality you humans place on such labels on your relationships."

Elena threw Katherine a mutinous look. "At least death means something to us."

"Ah, yes. Because the moment I gave John the ring, he forgot his own mortality. I had to remind him what death means…to your kind." Then she smiled humorlessly at Elena. "And darling, if you really believed what you just said, what are you doing playing with two undead brothers? I mean, you realize that they are going to stay young and beautiful forever while you grow old and wither away…or simply drop dead."

Elena bit her lip and looked at her hands. She didn't hear or notice Katherine approaching her until Katherine had both her wrists bound tightly with her own strong ones. Katherine's grip was like steel bands. If she wanted to, she could snap Elena's wrists without any effort. It reminded Elena all the more of her mortality, her weakness in the greater scheme of things.

"And mark my words, Elena," whispered Katherine, hovering over her. "You _will_ die."

What could Elena say to that? No? Stefan would turn her? Would she even want to? Or would she stand by as she grew older each year and watch Stefan stay exactly the way he was. Would Stefan still love her then?

A tiny voice inside of her whispered. _What about Damon?_ Somehow, she knew that Damon would have no qualms about turning her. He would do everything in his power to keep her. He wouldn't even consider the moral consequences of changing her. If she so much as hinted that she might want it, Damon would offer her immortality on a silver platter. And he would probably offer himself as part of the bargain as well. A strange yearning started to burn inside of her. She remembered the way Damon kissed her. It was so full of hope, of _longing_. It was like Damon kissed her with everything that was good inside of him, offering it to her.

"Your pulse is racing," Katherine smiled cattily. "I wonder who you're thinking of?"

Elena clamped her lips together, clenching her teeth until her jaw ached.

"Could it be the stolid, sweet Stefan the Good?" whispered Katherine in a soft sing-song voice. "Or the laughing, wild, Damon the Dark?"

Elena refused to look into Katherine's eyes, afraid that she would know exactly who she was thinking of. She was afraid that her own eyes would reflect the turmoil of confusion inside of her. There was no longer any fear of Katherine. Despite the fact that she knew her wrists would be bruised by the time Katherine let go of her, she realized that tonight was not her night to die.

Not yet.

Not tonight and not by Katherine's hands.

"Trust me, Elena," sighed Katherine. "I know your heart. I just…wonder…which one you will choose. Because you have to understand, you see…whoever you choose…will also have to die with you."

Elena swung wide eyes towards Katherine. "What are you talking about?"

Katherine huffed impatiently, pushing Elena against the headboard of her bed with more force than necessary. Pain exploded through Elena as she banged her head against the wall. Katherine threw her hands up in the air with flair. "Oh please, like you didn't figure it out by now? Do you think it's just sheer coincidence that we look alike?"

"Oh my god."

Katherine laughed throatily, a rich, raspy sound that was almost pleasant to hear, except that it was filled with dark malice. "Choose wisely, Elena. Who do you really want? Would you allow either Salvatore brother to die? But would you really deny your heart as well?"

Elena couldn't breathe.

The thought of Stefan dying at her hands brought tears to her eyes. He was so _good_. He didn't deserve to die. Not because of her. But was she really going to give him up?

A vision of his green eyes flashed through her mind's eye. She remembered the feel of his soft dark brown hair, the smooth roughness of his chiseled jaw, the somber set of his full lips. Stefan was so beautiful, was it any wonder that she had been unable to resist him since the first day she ran into him?

Suddenly, Stefan's face faded from her thoughts, and a pair of mischievous brilliant blue eyes filled her mind. Silky ebony hair that ruffled easily, an angled, strong jaw line, soft mocking lips…lips that had burned her with a single, simple kiss. Her heart felt like it was going into overdrive and her whole body tingled just at the thought of those lips on hers.

Elena swung her dark eyes towards Katherine. She was looking at her with a Cheshire cat smile, mysterious, mischievous, as if she knew _exactly_ what was flashing before Elena's mind. "Trust me, Elena, I _know_. I couldn't make my choice. I took them both…" Then her eyes turned cold, "And if I have to, I will take them both again."

"They want nothing to do with you." Elena said mutinously.

Katherine arched one eyebrow delicately. "Don't kid yourself, Elena. Of all the pretty girls in the world, there is a reason that both Salvatore boys noticed you. There's a reason they both decided to stay. I'm that reason. I have always been The One they both wanted," she drawled then in a blink of an eye, she was on the bed kneeling over Elena, her hand enclosed around Elena's slender neck. "I always will be."

She slowly choked Elena until she started to feel the first tendrils of panic. She didn't know Katherine. She didn't know whether or not Katherine was really going to kill her here and now, the way she simply stabbed Uncle John that night.

"Do you know that it only takes 50 seconds before your brain slowly starts to shut down?" said Katherine in an oddly conversational tone. "It will only take the smallest pressure from me to break your pretty little neck."

Elena grabbed Katherine's wrists and tried to push the vampire away. She tried to dig her fingers between Katherine's grip and her neck. But it was useless. Katherine's grip was like a steel vise, her flesh, which could be soft and supple like a human's, could also be as hard and unyielding as granite. Elena's lips quivered as her lungs started to burn from the need to breathe. Katherine only chuckled, as if enjoying her struggle and growing panic. Tears started to sting Elena's eyes. She almost wanted to be, _please_. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't give Katherine the satisfaction.

With a small, smug smile, Katherine suddenly released Elena. She coughed, her lungs burned, her throat felt bruised, each convulsion only hurt her more.

"Remember, Elena, choose wisely. I still want the boys. One more than the other, I assure you. But trust me…only one of us gets the luxury of _forever_." Katherine stood up and stalked silently towards the window. "And if you don't play by my rules…I will kill _both_ the Salvatore brothers. And bloodline or not, I might just kill you, too." She tilted her head as if in contemplation. She smiled with mocking sweetness at Elena. "I haven't quite decided your fate yet."

"No."

"Yes." Katherine narrowed her eyes dangerously. "If you choose one brother, he will die. The other will live with the misery of an eternity of being rejected by the both of us. If you choose neither, they will both die. Because, you see…they have to pay for betraying me. They both have to pay for loving you. It's as simple as that."

And with that, Katherine disappeared into the darkness outside of Elena's window, leaving her with the weight of her decision. How could she possibly choose?


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Elena woke up to sunlight streaming happily through her window. She frowned. Everything was so bright, so cheerful, as if the world had decided to mock her by being all the more beautiful that day.

Her hand crept up to her throat and she swallowed slowly, testing the soreness. It still hurt. Katherine had proven that she was by far the stronger one, that she could simply kill Elena with a flick of her wrist.

Elena grimaced as she realized she would have to wear a something around her neck on such a warm day. She was glad it was a Sunday. She wouldn't have to face everyone at school. She didn't think she could stand any more sad, pitying looks.

_Poor Elena, her parents died in a car crash. Now her Uncle John was dead, too._

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and searched for a calm from somewhere deep inside of her. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do now. She felt utterly paralyzed with indecision. Her life, in general, just plain … _sucked_.

She could go and talk to Stefan. But she didn't think she could face him after what had happened with Damon. It had altogether been too easy to ignore him through the whirlwind rush of Uncle John's death and funeral.

Stefan thought that she needed space to grieve.

In reality, she needed space for the guilt.

So, instead, she had sent Stefan on a hunt for Uncle John's killer. He had the idea that it was another rogue vampire. One who had wanted revenge for the massacre on Founder's Day. It was plausible. It was believable.

She had nodded mutely, unable to look him in the eye.

She had been all too aware of Damon hovering in the background, his blue eyes piercing into her soul. Seeing her guilt, knowing exactly why she couldn't look him in the eye either. He had grunted a non-committal agreement and had followed Stefan out the door.

But he had turned and looked at her over his shoulder. His blue eyes were completely unreadable, his face devoid of emotion. All the same, Elena felt robbed of breath. Was that guilt? Was that horror?

Her lips had quivered when she looked away. No, it was _heartbreak_.

She didn't know for whom her heart broke. She just knew that there was crushing sensation in her chest. A burden she needed to figure out, and soon.

She hadn't seen the boys since Friday night.

But now…with Katherine on the loose…with her ultimatum hanging over her head…she had to talk to them. She had to tell them…_right_? Elena buried her head in her hands as her head began to pound with a headache of massive proportions. This was an impossible situation. Who could she possibly talk to about this predicament? Damon? Oh—he was involved. Stefan? Definitely not.

_Bonnie_.

Elena shook her head as another stab of sadness hit her. Bonnie's friendship had always been one of those unwavering pillars of her life. But lately, because of the Salvatore brothers, she wasn't even sure of that anymore.

Bonnie had betrayed her. She had lied about disengaging the weapon. Why would she help Elena keep the Salvatores alive now?

_Jeremy_?

Elena looked across her room to the wall that adjoined hers and Jeremy's rooms. He hadn't come out of his room since Friday night. Had refused to go to Uncle John's funeral. She hadn't seen him since Founder's Day either. She couldn't bother him with this problem though. Anna had died in the fire on Founder's Day.

Jeremy had already lost so much. Their parents, Vicki, Anna, and even Uncle John. She couldn't lay more problems on his young shoulders. She would leave him alone with his own grief.

Elena frowned as she remembered his drug addiction. She amended her earlier thought. She would leave him alone with his own grief, _for now_.

With a sigh, Elena forced herself to get out of bed. It wouldn't do her much good to stay and rot away trying to _not_ decide. She grimaced. After all, her lack of indecision would just put both guys in more danger.

She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a hair brush. She sat in front of her mirror and began to slowly run the brush through her dark hair. She stared at herself in the mirror. She was the spitting image of Katherine.

Maybe their eyes were a little different. But it wasn't in the shape. It was in the way they looked at the world. Elena had vulnerable eyes. Katherine had dangerous eyes. Elena saw the bruises around her neck. They were almost delicate, leaving small fingerprints. It was almost unbelievable that those dainty little marks were backed by incalculable strength.

She traced the fingerprint bruises, noticing how easily her own fingers fit them.

Was she really just like Katherine?

Was Katherine like her when she had been human? Would she turn out as evil as Katherine if she ever became a vampire, too?

Elena shook her head to ward off those thoughts. She hurried through the rest of her morning routine of getting ready. She pulled out a silk scarf and tied it jauntily around her neck. She purposefully picked a yellow sunflower pattern, lying to the world with its cheerfulness. She pulled out a simple black dress. She wasn't mourning for Uncle John, although that's what the whole town would think. She was simply in a dark mood.

She made her way downstairs to the kitchen where Aunt Jenna was making a great deal of noise banging kitchenware all over the place.

"Hey," she called out as she walked in.

Aunt Jenna was bent over the oven and looked up quickly. "Elena!" she cried, "You startled me!"

She threw her Aunt Jenna a chagrined smile. "Sorry." She looked around the kitchen and it seemed like every piece of cookware was strewn out on the counter or in the sink. There were rugs and mops all around. The strong scent of cleaning detergent filled the air."Are you…cleaning?"

Aunt Jenna sighed and leaned heavily against the counter. She wiped a hand across her forehead a layer of flour trailing across. She laughed slightly, "Right? Me? Aunt Jenna cleaning. It's like the universal joke around here."

"That's not what I meant," sighed Elena.

"I know it's not, Elena," she sighed heavily. "It's just that…I found him here, you know? And there was so much blood…" Tears suddenly filled Aunt Jenna's eyes as she remembered discovering Uncle John's body on the floor. She covered her nose and mouth with the back of her hand as if to mask the scent of blood that had permeated the kitchen. "Oh, God, Elena…who ever thought I was right to raise you guys. Look at the mess I've made!" Her voice had raised shrilly, breaking into a sudden sob.

"Your mom's gone. She was the one who always had everything under control. I was the kid sister who always looked to her to bail me out. Now…now…people are dying left and right! In our own home! And, and…I don't even know what's going on with _you_—I mean, you were such a sweet, nice girl…and now, for heaven's sake, Elena, seeing Damon behind Stefan's back! And that's not even the worst thing! You're spending so much time at the Salvatores these days I don't know if you even still live here! And Jeremy! I can't even begin to put a finger to what's going on with him!"

"Aunt Jenna…"

"No! Don't 'Aunt Jenna' me with that little tone of voice," she grimaced. "What am I doing wrong, Elena? Tell me. With John dead now, too, I'm all that's really left. And I'm doing it all wrong, aren't I?"

Elena pursed her lips and shrugged with a small smile. "You're not doing anything wrong. I think that we're all just trying to deal with these changes in our own ways. You're doing great, Aunt Jenna. This past year…I don't know what I would have done without you."

She eyed her Aunt. She was only in her mid-twenties, just barely an adult herself. She had been vivacious and beautiful; the charming young Sommers sister with the reddish brown hair, wide gray eyes, and teasing smile. When Elena's parents had died, it was like the light inside her aunt had been extinguished by the weight of the responsibility of raising the Gilbert teenagers. Not to mention navigate her own life as well.

And it was just bad timing that around the exact same time, vampires started to infiltrate their tranquil little town and wreak a secret havoc in the lives of the Gilberts. It must be hard to be on the outside of that secret…knowing there was one, but not really sure exactly what it was.

Elena suddenly crossed over towards the kitchen and engulfed her young Aunt in a hug. They were barely seven years apart and she felt more like a sister than an Aunt. "It's gonna be okay," she murmured.

Aunt Jenna chuckled against Elena's shoulder. "Oh God, I'm supposed to be saying that to you," she murmured ironically. "When did you get to be so wise?"

Elena stepped back and pulled a face. "Obviously not wise enough," she muttered.

Aunt Jenna smiled sheepishly at her. "Honestly, whatever is going on between you and the Salvatore brothers…is not my business."

Elena sighed heavily.

"You could do much worse."

She rolled her eyes at her Aunt.

Aunt Jenna snorted playfully. "What? Stefan's got the brooding James Dean look down, and Damon's a walking billboard for tall, dark and dangerously handsome…I don't know what you're doing, but you've got two of the hottest guys in town in love with you."

"It's not all me, I assure you," muttered Elena, looking away. _It's Katherine_. She forced a smile and cocked an eyebrow at her aunt. "And who ever said anything about being in love," she teased lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

Instead Aunt Jenna tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. "Stefan loves you. It was pretty clear from the start. It's Damon…that's got me surprised. He's really trying, Elena, and I get the distinct feeling he's not used to putting in any effort at all."

Elena frowned at her aunt. "Please, are you on Damon's side now?"

Aunt Jenna shrugged. "I never said I was picking sides."

"Sure would help me," she muttered under her breath, before turning away and leaving with a banana for breakfast. "Anyway, I'm going for a walk. Got a lot of soul-searching to do, if you know what I mean."

She heard Aunt Jenna's chuckle as she walked down the hall. "Sure, take your time. Just be home by dinner!"

Elena opened the front door and stepped back startled. Stefan stood at her doorway, hand raised and ready to knock on the door. She gasped, "Stefan!"

She hated this and loved this at the same time: that first moment of the day when she saw him. It was like a breath of fresh air after being suffocated, like being in complete darkness, then being blinded by sunlight. It hurt, but it felt so good.

He gave her that slow smile of his, the one that started with one side of his lips, tilting them sexily. His eyes were covered by dark Ray-Bans, but he slowly pulled them off so that she could see the way his green eyes glittered. "Hey," he greeted her, reaching out for her hand.

Elena couldn't help but be completely mesmerized. Stefan was simply just that beautiful: sheer human perfection immortalized. She reached for his hand and allowed him to clasp his fingers around hers. He pulled her to him for a kiss.

In that second, Elena felt a surge of panic and guilt so sharp that she gasped and turned her head away. She ended up resting her head on his shoulder instead.

She felt his body tense. "Is everything okay?"

_Lie, Elena! Lie!_ She looked up at him, forced herself to look him straight in the eye. "It was really funny, actually. I thought I was gonna sneeze. That would have been awkward, huh?" She laughed, forcing the image of her sneezing into Stefan's face into her head to inject some genuineness into her laughter.

He smiled wryly at her. He touched her cheek gently. And Elena couldn't help but lean into that touch. He loved her so well. Wordlessly, she lifted her face and her lips met his in a soft, sweet kiss. She felt the familiar warmth that seeped from her heart tingling throughout her whole body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fully gave in to the kiss.

She felt Stefan's arms around her waist, pulling her against him, felt his warm soft lips teasing fire out of her. He was so solid, his long, lean hard body fully supported her, his arms held her protectively. Despite being a vampire, Stefan always, _always_ made her feel safe.

Even when he had been out of control with bloodlust, she knew that somewhere deep inside, he would never hurt her. He would destroy the whole world first before hurting her.

When they finally pulled away, he was smiling at her. This was Stefan's second smile. The boyish one. This smile made her feel like it was Christmas, and she was his present.

She smiled tenderly back at him. "So what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Do I really need an excuse to see my girlfriend?" he smiled.

She chuckled somewhat uncomfortably. "I guess not."

A shadow entered his eyes, clouding them. "What's wrong, Elena? I can tell something is…off."

Elena gave him her best reproving look. "Something is _off_? My Uncle just died. Probably killed by a rogue vampire because of the complete disaster that was Founders Day. I haven't talked to my own brother in two days. My Aunt is having a midlife crisis in her mid-twenties…I don't know…is something really _off_?"

He reared back a little from her tone.

She was immediately contrite and laid her hands on his chest. "Stefan…"

He leaned his forehead against hers. "I understand. Everything…it seems to be spiraling out of control. But all that doesn't matter as much to me as…us. Are we okay?"

Elena ducked her head and hid her face into the crook of Stefan's neck. She inhaled the unique scent of him. He smelled like the woods, evergreens and fresh air. She couldn't bring herself to face him, to look him in the eye as her thoughts flashed back and forth to the kiss with Damon just two nights ago.

"I just…yes…we're okay. But I just sort of need…space."

He pulled away and forced her to look at him. "Space?"

"Just for myself. Just to absorb everything that's happening in my life."

"To see if I'm good for you…or not." He finished the unspoken thought, looking away over his shoulder out into the empty streets.

"Stefan! No!" she cried with a slight desperation. The thought of her life without Stefan…it just seemed bleak. Seemed unbelievable. This time she forced him to look her in the eyes. "Believe me, Stefan, it's not a question of whether you're good for me or not. Okay? It's just me. I just need to…figure things out."

He gave her a tight smile. "Okay." He looked her over and stepped away, gesturing towards the driveway. "Can I walk you somewhere?"

"I'm going to see Bonnie, actually," she lied. She was surprised at how easily the lying was coming to her. It unnerved her, but she knew it was necessary to protect Stefan. "And you know how Bonnie feels about…"

"Soulless, evil bloodsuckers," He finished with a rueful sarcastic smile.

"Exactly." She replied with her own teasing grin.

"In that case," he leaned in and gave her one last soft sweet kiss. "I'll see you later tonight?"

She nodded. "Please."

With a small, tight smile, he turned around and walked down the street. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared.

Elena took a deep breath and released it in a long sigh of relief. She never thought she would find herself lying to Stefan so much. But with the state of their lives, lying was almost synonymous with loving. You lied to protect the people you loved.

She started down the street. She had told Stefan that she was going to see Bonnie. In reality, she had no idea where she was going. She just let her feet take her. She really did need the time to think, to get a good grasp of what the hell was going on with her life.

Damon. Stefan. Katherine's ultimatum. The idea of turning into a vampire someday. Jeremy. Aunt Jenna. Damon. Stefan. How was she supposed to choose? How was she supposed to _not_ choose and let them both die? How was she supposed to stop Katherine?

She looked up as a sudden breeze kicked up, ruffling her dark hair around her. A large dark cloud had drifted before the sun, filtering the rays, leaving only grayness and shadows around her. A shiver ran down Elena's spine, wondering if the sudden shift in weather was somehow Katherine's doing, too.

She kept walking, almost blinded by the murkiness of her own thoughts.

"Ow!" she cried, as her foot hit something hard, stubbing her toe. She looked down and realized that she had somehow managed to subconsciously find her way to the cemetery. She was only a few steps in front of her parents' gravestones.

Her mouth turned down bitterly. Her _adoptive_ parents.

Her real parents had turned out to be psychopaths. She shivered again, and wrapped her arms around herself. What if there was more of her parents in her? What if there was something more like _Katherine_ in her?

She came to stand in front of her adoptive parents' headstones and dropped suddenly to her knees. Before she could stop herself, tears were pouring down her face. She stared at their names. She wanted to yell at them, scream, ask them why? _Why aren't you my real parents? Why did you leave me? Who am I?_

Instead, all that came out of her were anguished sobs.

"They loved you, and I'm pretty sure in the greater scheme of things, that's what matters," drawled a soft silky voice.

Elena's head snapped up and her dark eyes met brilliant blue ones. "What are _you _doing here?" she growled, hastily wiping away her tears from her face.

"Stopped by your place, and your aunt told me you had gone for a walk," Damon sauntered out from behind a tall statue of a crying angel to come closer to her. Damon always gave her that feeling. The kind where all her hairs stood on end, her nerve endings tingled, her heart started to beat just a little bit harder. He always put her on edge. He made her feel like she wasn't exactly who she thought she was—like she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

Maybe it was because he was so handsome. Maybe not in the same beautiful perfection that Stefan was. But Damon was arresting. He was the kind of guy that made you look twice. Three times. Maybe just altogether stopped and stared. Maybe it was his eyes. They looked at you and they stole your soul.

Or maybe it was those lips. He had a way of pouting them that made her think of…Elena flinched away from the thought, forcing herself not to remember the kiss between them. That felt like it had stolen her soul, too. She frowned at him, "How'd you find me here?"

"It seemed like the only place you would walk to that wasn't…my brother." He twisted his lips bitterly. "And knowing my stalwart younger brother, he's already been to your place to check up on you. This leaves my options to…here." He gestured to the graveyard with a laconic wave of his arm.

"And what are you here for?"

Damon's face became completely blank for a second, before he shrugged exaggeratedly. He came to lean slightly on Elena's father's tombstone. "I don't know…being stalwart?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, before moving them to the spot where his hip so casually leaned against her father's grave.

He gave her an amused look but straightened himself and patted away some imaginary dust off the stone.

"So, you're being…stalwart?" she pursed her lips in disbelief.

He shrugged expansively. "Y'know, being the rock you can lean on in hard times," he intoned with mock fervor.

Elena rolled her eyes at him. "You don't even believe yourself."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

It was true, he was. But his presence was more damaging to her calm than anything else. Elena sighed heavily and got up from the ground. She faced him, hands on her hips. "Look, Damon, you've done enough damage as it is. I don't want you here."

His face was wiped clean of emotion. He stood perfectly still, his dark hair ruffled by the wind. Elena barely ever saw Damon still. He was always moving, laughing, teasing, not-always in a friendly way, but he never stopped long enough to really stand still. Long enough for her to put a finger on what it was about him that people loved and hated all at once.

But now, he stood still. His face, devoid of emotion, looked hauntingly beautiful. In that moment, she saw that his jaw was as hard and chiseled as Stefan's, but his lips fuller. His eyes, which were fringed with absurdly long lashes for a boy, were looking at her, but not really. They were looking through her, as if seeing a ghost.

She wondered if he was seeing Katherine, instead of her. Wondered if he had kissed a memory of Katherine the other night, instead of her.

The thought made her surprisingly angry. "I said I don't want you here."

He came out of his trance and gave her a narrow-eyed look. "I heard you the first time, sweetheart," he snapped. "Don't flatter yourself, Elena. I thought I heard something out in the woods."

Elena was instantly alert, and she found herself inching closer to Damon. Suddenly, there was a loud screeching noise, and before Elena could scream, Damon had pushed her to the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. She felt a strange explosion of power blow past her head.

His leanly muscled body was sprawled on top of hers and she wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him in shock and fear. "What was that!" she screamed, more than asked.

He had her pinned beneath him, while his eyes roved the trees around them. "I'm not sure, but it felt like a burst of power…a lot of it…" he replied, his voice low and quiet.

They laid in tense anticipation for a few moments before Elena suddenly became aware of the position they were in. His body was pressed to hers from thigh to chest. His weight was almost pleasant—comforting. Her hands were splayed around his back, and for the first time, she felt the lean-muscled strength beneath the fabric of his shirt. It felt…nice.

It was at that instant that he chose to look down at her.

Maybe it was her eyes that gave it away, her lids felt heavy, hooded. Wanting. Her cheeks were flushed, and her heart started to beat erratically. But in that moment, she felt the feeling of danger pass…replaced by desire.

"Elena…" whispered Damon, his eyes falling to her lips. He slowly, very slowly started to lean in and Elena felt an almost magnetic pull inside of her that had her raising her lips to meet his. He paused, a hair's breadth away, "Mine," he murmured.

Suddenly, Stefan's voice broke through the silence, "What's going on here?" he demanded.

* * *

**TBC**


End file.
